This content is no longer available. It was a pre-publication draft of a section of “Energy Limits to Growth,” a report that will be published in expanded form by Post Carbon Institute and International Forum on globalization in May.
Energy limits to growth: integrating energy sources – part III
By Richard Heinberg, originally published by Richard Heinberg/Post Carbon Institute
March 20, 2009
Richard Heinberg
Richard passed away unexpectedly in July 2026. Read this rememberance by Asher Miller.
Richard Heinberg was regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels. He was the author of fourteen books, including some of the seminal works on society’s current energy and environmental sustainability crisis. Richard was Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute for nearly twenty years.
Richard authored hundreds of essays and articles that have appeared in such journals as Nature and The Wall Street Journal; delivered hundreds of lectures on energy and climate issues to audiences on six continents; and was quoted and interviewed countless times for print, television, and radio. His monthly MuseLetter was published for 400 consecutive months starting in 1992, and was included in Utne Magazine’s annual list of Best Alternative Newsletters.
Tags: Biofuels, Biomass, Coal, Consumption & Demand, Electricity, Energy Infrastructure, Energy Policy, Fossil Fuels, Geothermal, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Oil, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Tar Sands, Technology, Tidal Energy, Wind Energy
Related Articles
A future of ‘fewer and less’ may be unavoidable. But how do we get there humanely?
By Robert Jensen, Savage Minds
With age, I’ve become more aware of the world’s complexity but also better equipped to come to simple, albeit painful, conclusions: We need to replace fantasies of endless growth with ideas about managing the contraction.
September 16, 2026
Affordability, not scarcity, is the real energy crisis
By Gail Tverberg, Our Finite World
In this post, I examine differences in economic behaviour by comparing two types of periods: those with low energy affordability and those with high energy affordability.
August 26, 2026
Inside the struggle to dismantle America’s greenhouse gas data
By Rachel Santarsiero, Ashley Braun, DeSmog Blog
New accounts show the oil and gas industry trying to weaken methane reporting while saving the federal emissions system it relies on.
August 24, 2026





Comments
We changed commenting systems on September 10, 2026 as part of a site-wide functionality and security upgrade. Your past comments have not disappeared, and you can still log in with your old Disqus account credentials if you wish. Contact us with any questions.